Chapter 2, In Which I Prepare for a Journey Summary

Brother Isidro returns the following day. He brings a magistrate, who is accompanied by a slave boy and a clerk. The magistrate forces Juan, who is still weak from his illness, to stand while he inventories all the household possessions. He forces the trembling boy to bring armload after armload of heavy books from the library. When the magistrate finally leaves, Juan collapses on his cot in exhaustion.

That evening Brother Isidro returns, bringing bread and cheese. He wraps Juan in a castoff cloak and takes him to the convent. Brother Isidro tries to excuse the magistrate's conduct, saying that the man is not cruel. He simply sees a slave as a worker, not a human being. Juan asks how Brother Isidro sees him, and the monk replies, "I...